SSERVI Science Teams

McMath‐Pierce telescope observed sodium (Na) emission from LCROSS impact on October 9, 2009.When the Lunar Crater Observing and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) impacted Cabeus crater on October 9th, it pitched up frozen water along with some sodium, astronomers reported today.

According to the LCROSS team, the impact event pitched up about 660 pounds of water frozen on the bottom of the crater. NLSI researcher R. M. Killen at NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center reported that the plume also contained about 3.3 pounds of sodium chloride.